Question: As I was driving through the RAD, I noticed there is a large mound on the former site of 12 Bones restaurant. What is the purpose of the mound?

My answer: It's where I bury all my failed diet plans.

Real answer: This is all part of the River Arts District Transportation Improvement Project, or RADTIP, an ambitious, $56-million redevelopment plan the city of Asheville is spearheading. The mound is part of an effort to be environmentally sensitive during construction.

"As part of the RADTIP, a new section of roadway and traffic circle is being built on a portion of the former 12 Bones restaurant location," said Dustin Clemens, program manager for Asheville's Capital Projects Department. "This new roadway will be built over the Bacoate Branch Creek, which currently flows under 14 Riverside Drive to the French Broad River.”

The creek had to be rerouted, temporarily.

"In order to construct the concrete culvert that will bridge the creek, the construction team created a temporary creek diversion so that the construction can be completed in the dry without contaminating the French Broad River," Clemens said. "The mound that your reader is referring to is simply the stockpiled soil that was created from digging the temporary creek diversion."

A reader asks about a sizable dirt mound that has appeared on the site of the former 12 Bones Restaurant in the River Arts District.

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The culvert construction should be finished in April. At that time, the stockpiled soil will be used to fill in the diversion, "and the creek will flow through the culvert and into the French Broad River," Clemens said.

By the way, 12 Bones, known for incredible ribs and sides, relocated just a few blocks away, to 5 Foundy St.

The city broke ground on the RADTIP last August 2017, and construction is ongoing at several points on the 2.2-mile project.

The city describes the RADTIP as "a major roadway and greenway construction project along the east side of the French Broad River in Asheville’s River Arts District. It includes a continuous multi-use path along the river, drainage systems for storm water, wide sidewalks, bike lanes and additional parking. Also, intersections will be improved for better traffic flow.

More information is available at city's River Arts District Transportation Improvement Project webpage (http://bit.ly/2qQ7Vqw).

A mound on the site of the former 12 Bones restaurant in the River Arts District is part of a ...more

A mound on the site of the former 12 Bones restaurant in the River Arts District is part of a temporary stream relocation project.

John Boyle/jboyle@citizen-times.com

Question: How many firefighters are there in the Asheville Fire Department and how many auxiliary fire departments are there at this time in the county? Has the number of firefighters increased much over the past five years?

My answer: I rated this a two-alarm question. That's why it took me six weeks to answer it.

Real answer: "In 2012, our budgeted number of full-time employees was 248," said Kelley Klope, spokeswoman for the Asheville Fire Department. "Today, our budgeted number is 260. There are 18 other fire departments in Buncombe County. Two of those are within a town — Black Mountain and Weaverville."

This is the opinion of John Boyle. Contact him at 232-5847 or jboyle@citizen-times.com